Still Real
by MinxxMama
Summary: P.O.V.'s of various characters during and after the movie.


Still Real

 **Disclaimer:** Real Steel and its characters are the sole property of Dreamworks, I'm only borrowing them.

Bailey's P.O.V.:

What's wrong with me? I let him creep into my bed in the middle of the night! Not that him coming home in the middle of the night is all that unusual, him climbing into my bed isn't either. It's the way he did it: he didn't get under the covers, he didn't get undressed and he didn't even try to seduce me. I know I told him I was done, but it was like all he was looking for was a little comfort; I just couldn't push him away.

So now I've been sitting here since just before dawn, wondering why Charlies' here without Max, what happened that he needed comfort and reassurance? So he walks out looking depressed and beat up, literally, trying to convince me that leaving Max with his aunt and uncle is for the best.

"Did you not see the way he looked at you? Charlie, that's the way I looked at my dad. Even now I'd give anything to have that back." He tries to dodge the issue by telling me how special my dad was (which he _was_ ), how he's already messed up too much and that he wouldn't know where to start making it up to Max. I remind him that he does know and comprehension dawns.

I shouldn't let him kiss me, I shouldn't have kissed him back but I can't say no to Charlie, especially a Charlie who's about to do the right thing.

"I gotta go."

"Twelve hundred miles for a kiss?"

"Worth it." He wipes the tear from my face. "Worth it."

"Go get him, Charlie."

"You sound like your dad." Best compliment ever.

Fifth round and Atom doesn't look good. Charlie doesn't put on the headset, he – he's using the shadow boxing mode. That's it Charlie, wait him out, just a little longer. Now!

'He was toying with him. Charlie was _dancing_ with him. Charlie was floating inches off the canvas that night, he was like a ghost; couldn't even see him. But I could, he was beautiful.' _This_ is the man Charlie was meant to be, a fighter. Not just a boxer, but a man who will fight for what and who he wants. You did this Max, you gave him back himself, you amazing little boy.

Bell rings, end of match, I duck the security guy, throw my arms around Charlie and kiss him hard. "Hey." I push him back into the ring.

I can't see for the tears; they lost the match but there he is with Max on his shoulder, arms in the air, turning this defeat into a victory. _This_ is my Charlie, the Charlie I practically grew up with, the Charlie I… love! Yes, no matter what, I will always love Charlie Kenton.

Charlie's P.O.V.:

"Are you kidding me with those eyes?" I wonder if this is how Bailey felt every time I pulled the same thing on her? "Dammit. Can't believe I'm doing this."

The bell rings, it's over. Suddenly Bailey is in my arms and kissing me like, like she's proud of me. "Hey." Then she pushes me into the ring to hear the decision.

"People's Champion? Sounds pretty good to me!" Damn that boy's amazing! We lost and it just doesn't bother him.

"Dad?"

Wait did he…?

"Dad?"

He's never called me that before.

"Where's my Dad?"

Say something, stupid! "Max! Max, Max."

"Dad!"

He wraps his arms around me and I hold him tight. God I love this kid. I love my son! "Max, I really want you to know – no – I _need_ you to know…" Stop making stupid faces at him and say it, you idiot. "I–"

"It's OK, your secret's safe with me."

That's when I know, I can't just let Max go off with his aunt and uncle without a fight! Not gonna do anything stupid, but I gotta make things right, for Max and with Bailey.

Max looks so disappointed when Debra and Marvin meet up with us.

"Do I have to go?" even Bailey is wondering what I'm going to do.

I must have gotten that stubborn look on my face because Debra starts in.

"You're not going to fight us on this, are you Charlie?" but she doesn't seem as fierce as that day in the courtroom, she seems expectant.

"I know you said just one night, but I'm going to get my life straight, then I'm going to ask. But if I have to, I _will_ fight you for Max." Surprisingly Debra nods, as if I've passed some kind of test.

Max goes back to New York with his aunt and uncle, Bailey went back to the gym and I'm on my way back too, but with a few promo stops along the way; should take about a week and a half. Perfect, the gift I'm having made for Bailey will be ready by then. I just hope she accepts it.

I manage to talk Debra into letting Max stay with me for the last half of my trip home plus a couple days after. "School starts in seven days, have him back by Friday." Max probably had more to do with it than my powers of persuasion.

I wanted him to meet some of the people who had made him and Atom 'The People's Champion'. It's amazing, from little kids to adults, everyone wants his autograph and picture.

"So what are we going to do now that we're back in Detroit? Are we going back to the gym?"

"We have an interview with a local TV station. Then we'll pick up the present I ordered for Bailey."

"Is it a ring?" he looks excited.

"A-a-?" there I go again, stammering and making stupid faces.

"For when you ask her to marry you." Now he seems exasperated. "You _are_ going to ask her to marry you, right?" he's glaring at me with an overdramatically significant look. Well, so much for worrying how Max would feel about it.

"Of course, but-"

"Then you're going to need a ring. We'll go get one after the interview."

"So, what are your plans for the future?"

"Well, Max here, the brains of the operation, will be going back to school." all three of us chuckled at that. "Atom will spend some quality time with our absolutely brilliant mechanic, and I'm going to see about a partnership." The interview doesn't last much longer; I'm not real good at this.

We manage to get home just before dawn and Max helps me set up Bailey's gift, a huge sign that reads:

Tallet's Gym

Official Home of

The Peoples Champion:

Atom

"I figure it'll bring in some tourist traffic and hopefully someone else will realize Bailey's talent for fixing 'bots."

"And maybe a few owners will want you to teach their 'bots to box? What better place than here? She's the one you want to be your partner, isn't she?"

"Are you OK with that?"

"Come on Dad, she's one of the best things about you."

"Yeah she is. I want to do this first though, so don't go getting pushy about asking her to marry me. OK?"

"OK, as long as you do it before I go back to New York."

"I'll ask her when I'm ready."

" _Before_ I go back to New York, Charlie."

"Oh so now it's back to calling me 'Charlie'? What happened to 'Dad'?"

"'Dad' listens to me; 'Charlie' argues with me and usually loses." Dammit! I couldn't disagree with that, the kid was right. Then I realize that I'm fighting the wrong fight.

"Before you go back to New York, Max. I promise."

I go upstairs to wake Bailey; she's already awake and in her bathroom showering. I sit on her bed and wait for her, I'm pretty sure I'd get a pleasant homecoming if I went in and joined her but I don't want her to think I'm trying to distract her, especially as I've done it in the past.

When she comes out of the bathroom she smiles and comes right to me, no hesitation. I hold her close and don't even try to kiss her; I want to do this right. Not let sex get in the way (no matter how much I'd like to).

"Come downstairs, we've got a surprise for you."

"A surprise?"

"Yeah, did you see our interview last night?"

"Of course, you only told me about it three times." I smile at her sheepishly, at least I was trying for sheepish; something tells me it was a little too smug for that. "A partner, huh? You haven't mentioned that before."

We get to the bottom of the stairs and I turn her to face the sign. Max bless his heart, has positioned Atom right under it.

"You want _me_ to be your partner?"

I tell her all the reasons Max and I had already discussed. "I don't want you to ever again be in a position where you might lose the gym." She looks from me to Max, who's looking as smug as only a nine – no – eleven year old con-artist can look. "So? What do you say?"

Her expression changes several times, I can't follow all of them but then a mix of satisfaction and determination settles on her face and she smiles at me, "Yes Charlie. Yes we can be partners."

She holds her arms out to Max, then wraps us both in a tight hug. There are tears in her eyes, but this is not like last time when she thought I was teasing her about driving twelve hundred miles for a kiss being worth it. These tears are because she's happy, because she's happy with me, because I did this right.

It's after dinner and the three of us are relaxing after a day spent discussing plans for the gym and strategies for our future. Max is giving me that significant glare again, I look at him like 'are you sure?' and he nods. Kid's a damn good manager, I'd be a fool to ignore his advice; and I'm done being the fool.

"Bails, there's something else I need to talk to you about…" the stammering and stupid faces start up again. I look at Max and he just gives me this proud and confident smile. He believes in me, I don't know why, but he does. I take the ring box out of my pocket, open it and show it to her. "Bailey Tallet, will you marry me?" Stunned silence and a blank face are all I get from her. I panic and start babbling. "Hell, Bailey you don't have to marry me, just don't push me away. Don-don't make me leave again." I stop for a second, this is harder than I thought but I _have_ to tell her this. "It took me awhile, I know I'm a bit slow, but I realized that when you told me you were done, that was the worst thing that had ever happened to me. I had hurt you so much for so long, that you didn't want me around anymore. God I missed you, and the whole time I was gone I still couldn't tell you. That's over. Whether you marry me or not, I love you Bailey Tallet and I always will."

She puts her hand over my mouth, a big smile on her face and she looks at Max. "Max, are you OK with this?"

"Are you kidding me?" he's exasperated again. " _I_ had to take him to get the ring!"

She takes the ring, puts it on the proper finger of her left hand and with tears in her eyes for the second time today says: "Yes Charlie Kenton, I'll marry you!"

I hold her tightly to me and kiss her like she's precious.

She pulls away a little and looks at Max, a twinkle in her eye: "It'll take both of us to keep him in line, you know?"

"I know," he says smugly, "but I think we can handle it."

Bailey's P.O.V.:

After my shower I go back into my bedroom to find Charlie sitting there looking tired, a bit scruffy, a little anxious and so damn good that I walk straight to him and wrap my arms around his waist.

He's changed since the match with Zeus; he's called me every day on his trip back home, told me every little detail about each stop (especially the ones once Max had joined him) and always told me how much he missed me, every time. He isn't trying to kiss me, heck he hadn't even gotten in the shower with me like he would have before; he's being very respectful. I wonder what he's up to.

"Come downstairs, we've got a surprise for you." He takes my hand and leads me like an eager schoolboy.

"A surprise?"

"Yeah, did you see our interview last night?" I roll my eyes at his back.

"Of course, you only told me about it three times." He smiles at me, a big Cheshire Cat smile. "A partner, huh? You haven't mentioned that before."

We get to the bottom of the stairs and he turns me to face this large sign with Atom standing right under it.

Tallet's Gym

Official Home of

The Peoples Champion:

Atom

"You want _me_ to be your partner?"

He tells me all these reasons; tourists, mechanic jobs for me, and Max mentions Charlie teaching other 'bots how to box. Then Charlie looks at me so seriously: "I don't want you to ever again be in a position where you might lose the gym." He glances at Max then back at me. "So? What do you say?"

He's trying to do right by me, make things right. That's probably why he's being so respectful and not giving me that smoldering look that I can't say no to. Yes, he's changed; he's become the good man he was meant to be. I smile at him, "Yes Charlie. Yes we can be partners."

I scoop Max into my arms first before I hug Charlie, I don't want Max to feel left out. After all he's one of the best things about Charlie.

All that day we talk and talk: Charlie and Max have ambitions and actual plans to achieve them, not just hopes that the future will take care of itself.

After dinner we're all relaxing, watching some WRB footage of the summer's bouts. Charlie is holding my hand, not seductively but again respectfully, when he turns to me and says: "Bails, there's something else I need to talk to you about…" he trails off as his face contorts with emotions I can't even follow. He glances at Max as if for courage, then he pulls a ring box out of his pocket, opens it and shows it to me. It's simple, it has my birthstone on it (I thought Charlie had forgotten I even _had_ birthdays), it's beautiful.

"Bailey Tallet, will you marry me?"

Shock, pure unadulterated shock! I never thought Charlie would marry me. I had reconciled myself to being business partners, best friends and having a probably exclusive physical relationship with him, but not marriage. He starts babbling in a panic, saying things that I had no idea he felt but the truth is in his eyes. "I love you Bailey Tallet and I always will." I put my hand over his mouth; if he goes on any longer he might start tearing up. I won't do that to his dignity.

"Max, are you OK with this?" I have to know. Will he think I'll try to take his mother's place?

"Are you kidding me?" he says with an exasperated look on his face, " _I_ had to take him to get the ring!"

I take the ring, put it on my finger and through the tears in my eyes say: "Yes Charlie Kenton, I'll marry you!"

He holds me so tight and kisses me like he'll never let go.

I pull away a little and look at Max: "It'll take both of us to keep him" I nod at Charlie, "in line, you know?"

"I know, but I think we can handle it."

Max's P.O.V.:

It's been a whole year since I met Charlie, my Dad.

It's been ten months since the Zeus fight, since Charlie seemed to get his self-respect back and started being my Dad.

It's been eight months since he and Bailey got married and I got the world's coolest step-mom.

It's been since Christmas vacation that Aunt Debra signed custody of me to Dad and Bailey, I moved in with them and changed schools.

Dad's bought a couple of 'bots and Bailey and I have fixed them up along with Atom. Dad and I are going to take them out to get some fights while Bailey stays at the gym to continue working on a few 'bots she's been hired to fix.

Dad promised her we'd be back every couple of weeks or so to spend time at home. All she did was smile, kiss him and tell me not to let Dad get into too much trouble. She doesn't treat me like a little kid and she understands Charlie's need to stay in the game. Coolest step-mom ever!

"So," I started one morning at breakfast a couple days before we're supposed to leave, "when am I getting a little brother or sister? Preferably one of each." I love it when Dad looks at me stunned with his mouth hanging open like he can't believe I just said that. Bailey, however, has recovered from _her_ shock quickly and is giving him the same questioning look I am.

"Yeah Charlie, when are we going to get to that?" I gotta chuckle; she's the coolest.

"I - ah… wait a minute… A baby? I'm not… I mean… I can hardly handle a ten year old!" he looks pretty panicked.

"I'm twelve. And don't worry; Bailey will make an awesome mom, I should know having had one myself. And with me as a big brother, we'll make sure you won't mess up."

"Max, come on, be serious." Now he's looking helplessly between me and Bailey. Good, we've got him.

"I _am_ being serious, Charlie. Why are you even arguing with me about this?"


End file.
